Jazz breaking news: Yamaha Jazz Scholars Pump Up Portcullis House
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
The 2012 Yamaha Jazz Scholars were announced last night at Summer Jazz In Portcullis House, where both the winners and special guest saxophonist YolanDa Brown (pictured below) played before a packed crowd of parliamentarians and jazz industry faces in the Atlee Suite.
Summer Jazz is hosted by the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group and PPL, and the Yamaha Jazz Scholars, now in its sixth year, is run in association with PPL and Jazzwise.
The six Yamaha Jazz Scholars are final year students chosen from the six music conservatories in the UK. Each received a £1,000 scholarship award from Yamaha and will also record a track with their own group for inclusion on the Yamaha New Jazz Sessions CD that’s covermounted on the Jazzwise Dec 2012/Jan 2013 double issue, out on 22 November. This year’s winning students (pictured above), who were given a standing ovation for their excellent set, culminating in the John Coltrane tune ‘Miles’ Mode’, were; alto saxophonist Alec Harper (Guildhall School of Music & Drama); alto saxophonist Chris Maddock (Birmingham Conservatoire); bassist Huw Williams (Royal Welsh College of Music); tenor saxophonist Ben Mallinder (Trinity Laban); pianist Matt Robinson (Royal Academy of Music); drummer Jonathan Davis (Leeds College of Music).
Prior to the Yamaha Jazz Scholars set the evening’s special guest YolanDa Brown, who has twice won the MOBO jazz award, delivered a slick set with her quartet. Brown is a prominent member of the Yamaha Class Band that visits schools in underprivileged areas to encourage children to play an instrument. She also works as an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust.
– Jon Newey